Wick-raising device for lanterns.



R. J. KELLY.

WIcK RAISING DEVICE FOR LANTERNS.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 12, 1909.

Patented June 27, 1911.

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UNITE S l RICHARD J. KELLY, OF SYRACUSE, NEW YORK.

NICK-RAISING DEVICE FOR LANTERNS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 27, 1911.

Application filed May 12, 1909. Serial No. 495,478.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, RICHARD J. KELLY, a citizen of the United States,and resident of Syracuse, in the county of Onondaga, in the State of NewYork, have invented new and useful Improvements in Wick-Raising Devicesfor Lanterns, of which the following, taken in connection with theaccompanying drawings, is a full, clear, and exact description.

The object of this invention is to provide a lantern with simple andeffectual means for raising and lowering the wick without the necessityof lifting the globe thereof.

To that end the invention consists essentially in the combination with astationary oil-pot and burner supported thereon, of a wick-movingspindle passing through the burner and having one end projectingtherefrom, a pinion secured to said projecting end, a circular rackmounted rotatably on the top of the oil-pot and engaging said pinion,and rack-rotating means including an operating member disposed below theoilpot.

The invention also consists in certain novel details of the constructionand arrangement of the component parts of the mechanism for turning thewickraising spindle as will be hereinafter fully described and set forthin the claims.

In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view ofthe lower portion of a lantern equipped with my wickraising device; Fig.2 is an enlarged detail vertical section view showing the shaft andpinion for operating the gear which is disposed concentric with the rackand is connected thereto, and also showing the means for turning saidshaft and for throwing the pinion thereof into and out of mesh with thegear; Fig. 3 is a detail plan view of the burner and attached ringformed with the circular rack; Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional view onthe line -a"win Fig. 1; and Fig. 5 is a detail view showing thepreferred construction of the thumb-piece for turning the vertical shaftand for drawing the same down to throw the pinion out of mesh with thegear.

In the drawings I have illustrated the well known so-called open-bottomlantern comprising the collar or ring 1 to which is secured the usualwire guard or frame -2 and base consisting of wires -33 and ring 4.

5- denotes the globe which is seated on the top of the collar -1 in theusual mancumferential flange 7 at its bottom which flange is formed withan upwardly projecting rim 8- embracing the lower portion of the collar1-.

Any of the well known devices may be employed for securing the oil-potdetachably in the collar. To the top of the said oil-pot is applied theusual burner 9 which may be attached in any suitable manner which willpermit it to be conveniently removed.

10 represents the wick which passes through the usual flattened uprighttube ll of the burner.

In the present instance I have shown the opening of the oil-pot having abushing 12- which is soldered or otherwise secured therein. Said bushingis formed with a top flange 12 seated at the edge of the opening and isscrew-threaded internally to receive a threaded nipple 13 fastened tothe burner, said nipple being formed with an external peripheral flange14- hearing upon the flange 12* of the bushing. The construction of thisburner is immaterial to the present invention, however, I prefer to usethat illustrated to afford a convenient application of my wick-raisingdevice which will now be described.

15- denotes the usual shaft which extends transversely through theburner for moving the wick. To the projecting end of said shaft issecured a pinion 16 which meshes with a circular rack 17 supportedrotatably below the pinion and disposed concentric with the oil-pot.This rack consists of a fiat sheet metal ring provided with uniformlyspaced radial slots serving as teeth to engage the pinion as moreclearly shown in Fig. 3. To the said circular rack -17 is fastened aninternal gear l8- which rotates the same. This gear is formed preferablyfrom a transversely corrugated sheet metal strip bent into the shape ofa ring and is soldered or otherwise secured to the inner face of adownwardly projecting peripheral flange -19 on the flat metal ring onwhich the rack is formed. To rotatably support this flat ring I clampits inner edge portion loosely between the burner 9 and the flange 14 onthe nipple 13 as shown in Fig. l.

Extending vertically through the oil-pot 6-- is a rotatable shaft -20which projects through the top and bottom thereof. To the upper end ofsaid shaft is secured a pinion 21 which meshes with the internal gear18, and to the lower end of the shaft is attached a thumb-piece 22- forturning the same. This vertical shaft is adapted to be raisedand loweredto permit the pinion 2l to be moved into and out of engagement with thegear l8. It is obvious that when the pinion and gear are out of mesh thewick will not be moved in the operation of unscrewing the burner. Thepinion is held in mesh by means of a spiral-spring 23 disposed betweensaid pinion and top of the oil-pot for forcing the shaft upward, bywhich action of the spring the thumb-piece 22 is caused to bear againstthe bottom of the oil-pot. The said thumb-piece consists preferably of asheet metal plate which is of rectangular shape and is pivotallyconnected to the lower end of the shaft -20 as indicated at 24.

\Vhen the pinion is in mesh with the internal gear the plate 22 presentsone of its longitudinal edges to the bottom of the oilpot as moreclearly shown by full lines in Fig. 2. By making the plate in thedescribed shape it acts as a cam when turned to present one of its endsto the bottom of the oil-pot whereby the shaft 20 is drawn down toshiftthe pinion 2l out of mesh with the said internal gear 18 for thepurpose stated. I desire to employ a folded metal plate for thisthumb-piece and provide the lower end of the shaft 20 with anenlargement formed with an eye and inserted in the fold of the plate,through which fold and intervening eye portion passes a pivotpin 25 asillustrated in Fig. 5.

It is obvious that when the thumb-piece is turned to relieve the springfrom compression, the said spring will automatically force the shaftupward.

What I claim is:

1. In a lantern, the combination with the oil-pot and the burner, of awick-raising device comprising a. shaft extending transversely throughthe burner, a pinion secured to said shaft, a rotatable circular rackencircling the burner and engaging the pinion, a rotary shaft supportedby the oil-pot, a suitably supported gear actuated by the latter shaftfor transmitting motion to the rack, and means for turning said lattershaft as set forth.

2. In a lantern, the combination with the burner, and the wick-raisingshaft passing therethrough, of a pinion secured to said shaft, a ringsupported rotatably on the burner and provided with a circular rack foractuating said pinion and provided with an internal gear below the rack,a pinion supported on the oil-pot and engaging said gear, and means foractuating the latter pinion as set forth.

8. In a lantern, the combination with a stationary oil-pot and thedetachable burner thereon provided with a wick-raising shaft,

. of a pinion secured to said shaft, and a circular rack securedrotatably to the burner for actuating the pinion and removable with theburner, and means supported on the oilpot for rotating said rack as setforth.

4. In a lantern, the combination with a stationary oil-pot, the burner,and wickraising shaft, of a pinion secured to said shaft, a circularrack engaging the pinion, a gear fastened to the rack and disposedconcentric therewith, a. suitably supported vertical rotary shaft by theoil-pot, a second pinion secured to the upper end of the vertical shaftand meshing with. said gear, and a thumb-piece secured to the lower endof said vertical shaft for turning the same as set forth,

5. In a lantern, the combination with a stationary oil-pot, the burner,and wickraising shaft, of a pinion secured to said shaft, a circularrack supported rotatably above the oil-pot for actuating said pinion, aninternal gear fastened to and disposed concentric with the rack, arotary shaft extending vertically through the oil-pot, a pinion securedto the upper end of the vertical shaft and meshing with the internalgear, and means on the lower end of the vertical shaft for turning thelatter shaft as set forth.

6. In a lantern, the combination with the wick-raising shaft, ofmechanism for turning the same comprising a pinion secured to the shaft,a circular rack engaging said pinion, an internal gear secured to anddisposed concentric with the rack, a pinion meshing with the internalgear, and means for actuating the latter pinion and for throwing thesame into and out of mesh as and for the purpose set forth.

7 In a lantern, the combination with a stationary oil-pot the burnerthereon and wick-raising shaft, of a pinion secured to said shaft, acircular rack supported rotatably above the oil-pot for engaging saidpinion, an internal gear secured to the rack, a rotary shaft extendingvertically through the oil-pot and adapted to be raised and lowered, apinion secured to the upper end of the vertical shaft for actuating saidgear, a thumb-piece attached to the lower end of the said vertical shaftand bearing against the bottom of the oil-pot and operative for turningthe shaft and for drawing the shaft down to throw and hold the pinionthereof out of mesh with the gear, and a spiralspring disposed betweenthe pinion and top of the oil-pot for throwing the pinion into mesh withthe gear as set forth.

8. In a lantern, the combination with a stationary oil-pot, the burnerand Wick-raising shaft, of a pinion secured to said shaft, a flat ringsupported rotatably and concentrically above the oil-pot and providedwith a rack engaging said pinion and formed with a downwardly projectingcircumferen tial flange, an internal gear on said flange, a

rotary shaft extending vertically through the oil-pot and having itsends projecting 15 said vertical shaft for turning the same as 20 setforth.

RICHARD J. KELLY.

Witnesses:

H. A. LOVELACE, WM. H. MEIER, Jr,

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

- Washington, I). O.

